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Cooling Towers

Under the notification of cooling towers and evaporative condensers regulations 1992, persons in control of premises that have a cooling tower or evaporative condenser in operation that contains water exposed to air, must notify the local authority for the area in which the premises are situated.

Additionally the person in control must:

If any changes are made to the particulars of the notice, notify these within one month

If the tower or condenser is made redundant or permanently taken out of service, notify the local authority as soon as possible

The main purpose of this notification process is to identify cooling towers as potential sources of risk and allow enforcing authorities to monitor and inspect them more easily. Whilst the task of maintaining records of wet cooling systems under the regulations rests with local authorities, responsibility for enforcement in respect of standards of assessment and control is split between the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and Local Authorities, depending on the main activity of the premises. Operators of installations should be aware that both the local authority and HSE undertake visits to the premises they are responsible for to ensure standards are met and will take enforcement action where appropriate.

Cooling towers have been associated with outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease. Information on Legionnaires Disease is available from the HSE website [external link]. Operators of cooling towers are expected to maintain a systematic programme of maintenance, cleaning and disinfection to ensure that the water used in the towers remains free of these bacteria.

Registering a cooling tower

Please contact us for a form to notify the Council of a cooling tower or evaporative condenser.